Dress to Impress
by Knightwood
Summary: The groom's not meant to see the dress before the wedding. Everyone knows that, but it's easier said than done for a certain cheetah.
1. Lily's Delivery

Dress to Impress

Just another little short before the series resumes and I can begin my version of the conclusion arc. Hope you enjoy it.

Legal: I don't own Power Rangers, or the associated Names, Places, Events, Characters etc. Anything not covered by the above rights is to be considered the creation of the author.

Rating: T – slight adult material

Timeline: The day after the events of "Casey's Luck."

As she watched the customers coming and going, Lily took a moment to rest by the counter. She looked down at her left hand to the two rings on her fourth finger with a broad smile. She loved her new life. Granted when she was a little girl she'd never have suspected that living and working in a pizza parlour would be what made her this happy, but then nothing could have prepared her for meeting the owner of this particular restaurant. RJ was totally unlike anyone she had ever met. No matter what trials had been thrown their way, he had always stepped up and met the challenge when the time came. With him by her side, she could accomplish anything.

There had been many changes around the restaurant in the years that had passed. The restaurant itself was now much bigger. Business had gotten a lot busier, and so RJ had not only repaid his loan to Dr. Hartford, but had earned enough to buy the building next door and had the wall knocked through, effectively doubling the size, and necessitating the hiring of some of the local high school kids as waiters.

Theo and Casey had stopped working there and moved out to apartments elsewhere in the city, somewhat of a necessity as their families grew. At times they still missed having them in the apartment, but they weren't strangers; they were all regular visitors, coming over most days. Even Dom had moved out, though due to his friendship with RJ he had settled into the routine of working at Jungle Karma and earned himself a position as RJ's Assistant Manager.

A strong arm snaked its way around her waist, pulling her back into his warm body and squeezing her gently. He pulled her hair back and kissed her neck softly, causing her to giggle slightly. Despite how long they'd been together, she still loved how it felt when he greeted her like that. RJ had always told her that he loved the way she reacted whenever he kissed her like that.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" RJ asked her in a gentle whisper.

"RJ, it was our anniversary last month." She told him. "And as much as I know you'd like it to be, it isn't your birthday for another couple of weeks."

"Not exactly what I meant." He stated, holding up her wrist so that she could see the watch he had given her on their first Christmas together. Lily's smile slipped a little as she saw the time. School had ended several minutes ago, and the kids would no doubt be waiting impatiently to be picked up. "The kids will be wondering where Mommy is."

"Oh great, looks like I'm pulling out the bribery ice-cream again." She muttered, pulling off her apron and grabbing her coat. "I can't believe I lost track of time again."

"Oh I wouldn't take it too hard." RJ chuckled, kissing her gently. "Memory's the first thing to go when you get old."

"Hey, I'm not old!" She shrieked, playfully slapping his chest. "Do remember you are four years older than me!"

"You know I'm just playing honey." RJ replied. "I'll have dinner ready by the time you get back."

Lily ran out of the restaurant and jumped into the car, fumbling with her keys and turning over the engine of her car. She pulled away, racing towards the school, muttering a curse under her breath as she saw the tell-tale flash of the speed-camera on the freeway.

"Great, that's another bloody ticket!" She moaned, hitting the off ramp. A short drive later, she pulled up to the collection zone and killed the engine. Suddenly, her frustration at losing more money to the DMV melted away as she saw the thing that made her happier than anything in the world. She threw open the door as she saw her children making their way over. Just as they were about to come into the car and into view, she felt the image slipping away. She hated it when her dreams were pulled away as they got to the good part.

Back in RJ's bedroom, she squirmed and tried to swat away her tormentor. When she hadn't woken with him on their alarm, he'd taken to gently blowing on her ear, something he knew she couldn't stand and annoyed the hell out of her.

"RJ!" She groaned as she slowly came to, rubbing sand from her eyes. "Leave me alone."

"Lily, it's time to get up." He told her. "The restaurant won't open itself."

"Let Casey do it!" She whined, pulling the covers over her head. "We both worked double shifts covering for him last night."

"Lily, I hate to be awake in the bedroom alone." He warned her playfully. "Now you can get up, or I can start tickling."

"You don't fight fair, you know that?" She chuckled, getting out of the bed. She looked down to her left hand and sighed. She and RJ had agreed that it was best to wait until they had dealt with Dai Shi before they went ahead with arranging the wedding, but she was starting to get a little impatient. She just couldn't wait until the day they would get married. She wished that they could get rid of Dai Shi quickly and get down to the exciting business of planning everything. As much as she loved being engaged to him, the thought of making the vows excited her even more.

"Do you want the first shower?" He asked, getting out of bed and gesturing to the en-suite. He could see she wasn't paying attention and reached a hand over, messing up her hair to bring her back around.

"You were dreaming again weren't you?" He asked. Lily nodded in response.

"I woke up before I saw them again." She responded with a small sigh. She had told RJ about the dreams before. He loved the fact she was visualising their future, but he knew that certain things frustrated her, such as the fact her dreams always seemed to end before she saw their kids.

"Do remember that they're dreams, not premonitions." He reminded her. "The future isn't set in stone. We might have kids, we might not. Hey, we might have a whole soccer team!"

Lily turned and glared at him, her mouth wide with a little panic as he said this. Although she wanted kids, the thought of spending most of her married life in labour was not her idea of the future she was planning for herself.

"Not on your life mister!" She snapped, crawling across the bed sheets over to him, reaching a hand behind his head and pulling him down. She kissed him deeply, causing his heart to swell with joy, before pulling away and staring deeply into his eyes.

"I guess I can live with just a couple." He chuckled. RJ was as excited as she was about the prospect of spending his life with her. He had been a bachelor for a long time before Lily came into his life. He had blown so many potential dates, and his one real relationship before they became anywhere near this serious, though he had now come to believe that was because he was waiting for her.

"So do you want the first shower?" He asked her.

"Do you?" She asked in return.

"I offered it to you." He replied, kissing her again. Lily enjoyed these moments together. Time alone was somewhat of a rare commodity at JKP since there were now seven of them living there, so the few moments before they went to sleep and immediately after they woke up were some of the few they had to themselves.

"You know, there is a way we can both get the first shower." She suggested, raising an eyebrow. RJ smiled as her suggestion registered itself in his mind.

"Bring a towel." He told her. "I'll get the water to temperature."

Watching him go, Lily felt her disappointment at not seeing her kids in her dream melting away. She loved her time with him. Picking up a towel, she made her way to the bathroom. She guessed if she was meant to see the kids she would have. Besides, it would spoil the surprise if she did; she was looking forward to seeing how things would go. As long as she was with RJ, she'd never be disappointed.

Casey was meditating in the main room while the others got ready. Given his disastrous proposal to Camille the previous night, he would have thought it would be easy to get some sleep, but his body just wasn't cooperating with the request. He ended up getting up a couple of hours previously and had taken to meditating to straighten out his thoughts. He was glad she had said yes, but the experience itself was not what he had planned. His eyes snapped open as he heard a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" He grumbled, getting off the floor. Apparently fate was conspiring against him to ensure he wasn't getting any form of rest today. Making his way to the door, he opened it to find a Fed Ex guy standing there, holding a large parcel.

"I have a delivery for Lily..."

"I'll sign for it." Casey interrupted, a little impatient at having been disturbed from his meditation. He was always a little cranky when his rest was disturbed. Signing the docket, he brought the parcel inside, inspecting the sender's address as he arrived back in the main room.

"Good Morning Casey." Fran greeted him in a yawn as she and Theo made their way from their room. "What do you have there?"

"It's a package for Lily." He replied. "It looks like it's from her dad."

"What makes you so sure?" Theo asked as they went to the exercise area.

"Do you know anyone else who lives on a military base in the Middle East?" Casey asked him in response, gesturing to the docket attached to the package. Theo realised he'd obviously read the sender's address.

"I hated getting stuff in the mail." Fran announced as she began her preparations for meditation. Her fox spirit was still weak from Dai Shi's attack, and she was taking no chances with it, so she began each day with mental exercises to help it recover. She realised the others were staring at her. "Well mom and dad shot through, and I didn't exactly have many friends, so all I ever used to get sent were bills I could hardly ever pay."

"I guess that makes sense." Casey responded. "So Theo, fancy a bit of weapons practice?"

"Sure." He replied, gesturing Casey to the sparring mats. "Sabres or nunchaka?"

"Surprise me." Casey implored him. "I'll whip you with either."

"Oh, just for that, you're going down." Theo told him, picking up the plastic training sabres. RJ and Lily arrived in the room at this point.

"Not so fast." RJ announced as Theo was looking out weapons. "I want to try something new today. You all know how to fight without weapons and you all know how to fight with your own weapons."

RJ arrived at the weapons rack, picking up the Jungle Mace replica. He handed it to Casey, before handing the Rhino Blade replica to Theo.

"Uh...these aren't our weapons RJ." Casey stated.

"Exactly." He replied. "Like I said, you know how to fight without weapons, and you know how to fight with your own weapons..."

"So you want to see if we can fight with each other's weapons." Theo concluded.

"That's right." He replied. "If you had no other option, would you be able to handle it?"

"Well Theo can use my Junglechuks." Casey stated. "He showed me how to use them."

"That's one lesson we can skip then." RJ replied. "So, I believe you were going to spar?"

"I'm game." Casey stated, beginning to swing the Jungle Mace as he'd seen Lily do so many times before.

"Bring it on cub." Theo taunted him playfully, strapping the Rhino Blade to his arm. RJ stood back to watch the inevitable display.

Lily, however, was totally distracted. Seeing the package addressed to her on the table, she began carefully opening it, opening the main flap. It was addressed to her from her father's current base, so she knew it had to be important if he was willing to pay for a Fed Ex from the Middle East. She only caught a glimpse of the contents before slamming the lid shut and looking round in panic to see if anyone had seen its contents. Satisfied she was the only one paying attention; she gathered it up in her arms and rushed into the bedroom.

She lay it down on the bed with a couple of tears beginning to form. She opened the package beholding the beautiful garment inside. She saw a letter inside addressed to her and opened it. It was indeed a letter from her father, along with a photograph. She began reading his latest correspondence.

'Dear Lily.

How are you? I'm getting along alright. Thankfully I haven't had any major activity recently; my last vacation took a lot out of me. You know what they say about after a vacation needing another one.'

Lily's first tears dripped from her chin to her t-shirt. She knew his letters would have to pass a censor, so he couldn't say it. Of course, she knew exactly what he meant. Calling on his mandrill spirit to protect her from Dai Shi had almost killed him. She was glad that he hadn't gotten into trouble, and even more so he hadn't needed to put himself in danger when he was still recovering from the experience.

'Anyway, I'm sure you've already seen what's in the parcel.' His letter continued. 'RJ's a good man, and I know he'll make me proud as a son-in-law. I just wanted to pass this to you. It's your mother's wedding dress.'

Lily pulled the delicate garment out of the box and inspected it through misty eyes. She wished her mother was still alive to be here for this moment. She ran her fingers across its shiny, smooth white silk surface. It was a beautiful, off-shoulder white bodice, patterned with pale yellow embroidery depicting a field of flowers, finished with a billowing skirt of white silk and lace. Lily could remember her mother telling her that her first holiday with her father had been in northern France, near Flanders, and that he had taken her to a beautiful meadow to propose to her. That was what the bodice was patterned after. She picked up the letter and continued reading.

'I hope it brings you and RJ as much happiness as it did for us. I've enclosed one of our wedding pictures for you. Keep in touch.

Love, dad'

Lily was almost completely overcome as she read this. She pulled out the picture and could see immediately what he had always said.

Her mother was truly beautiful. She was almost the same height and build as Lily, the only difference being that she had brown hair. She was almost identical, even right down to the few faint, barely-noticeable freckles across her nose and cheeks. Even the bright, broad smile was the same. Behind her, holding her closely was a young man who was undoubtedly her dad, though considerably younger. He was incredibly handsome in his dress uniform. He held his beloved Lisa tenderly in his arms and cradled her with the kind of love that was destined to last a lifetime. She threw aside the letter and pulled the dress up, hugging it warmly. She could almost still smell her mother's perfume on its fabric. She had worn it only once in her life, but to her the most important day.

Lily looked to the door, seeing that it was firmly shut, blocking her from view. Laying the dress down on the bed, she pulled off her t-shirt.

Theo was doing one of his annoying victory dances after defeating Casey. The Red Ranger slammed a hand down on the mat in frustration.

"It's not fair!" He roared in a childish tone. "He has a rigid weapon. This damned mace kept tripping me up!"

"That, my tiger, is why I wanted you to try other weapons." RJ replied. "Theo, this time YOU will use the jungle mace."

Theo felt his grin slip as Casey switched weapons with him. Just then their morphers bleeped.

"Rinshi." Fran snapped, already at the surveillance system, watching the screen. "Lots of them, in the industrial region."

"Saved by the bell." Casey sighed, throwing down the Rhino Blade. Theo didn't want to admit it, but he was also glad the training session had ended. He wasn't keen on trying out the Jungle Mace; Casey's performance was embarrassing to say the least. When he wasn't strangling himself or braining himself with it, he was tripping over it. Despite being highly amused at the display, Theo knew how hard it was to wield the Jungle Mace effectively and was in no hurry to embarrass himself.

Lily had finished buttoning up the bodice. It wasn't easy to do so by herself, clearly this dress was designed for aesthetics and not for practicality. She went to the mirror and looked at herself in the gown. She could instantly see the reason her father found it so hard to look at her. She was almost exactly like her mother in that dress. She looked at herself in the mirror and imagined her own pictures with RJ, him standing over and behind her as he always had; his warm, tender arms around her. She couldn't wait until he was waiting at the 

altar, nervous and fidgeting. She could see him turning to watch her coming towards her and...

"Lily!" RJ called out, pounding on the door. "We're needed!"

She felt her heart hitting her throat and pounding in her ears.

'Oh god, he can't see me like this!' She thought to herself. While she wasn't especially superstitious, this was one she didn't want to take chances on. It had taken so much for RJ and herself to get to this point in the relationship that she wasn't going to take any chances on their marriage.

"Uh...go on without me!" She called through, beginning to struggle with the dress. Now she realised why a bride usually always had someone else to help her with the dress. Getting in was a chore, getting out again was like trying to get out of a straightjacket. She could hardly reach the buttons, and was finding it all but impossible to undo them by herself. "I'll catch up."

"Are you alright?" He asked. She saw the doorknob start to rattle and panicked, she threw herself against the door, holding it shut.

"I've...got something important...to do." She stammered. "I'll be there soon."

Back in the main room, RJ was starting to wonder what had gotten into Lily when Dom ran over to him and slammed a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention.

"Yo RJ, there's Rinshi to be beaten." He rushed out.

"But Lily..."

"She'll catch up." He interrupted. "Come on. Let's not let the primary colours have all the fun."

With that, they grabbed their vines and swung out of the apartment.

Lily sat in her bedroom and cursed herself for her childish enthusiasm. Despite her responsibilities, she had succumbed to temptation and strapped herself into this straightjacket of a wedding dress. As beautiful as it was, she was now stuck.

"Lily?" Fran asked weakly.

"Who's there?" Lily asked.

"Chuck Norris." She replied sarcastically. "Who'd you think it was?"

"No, I know it's you Fran!" Lily barked. "Are any of the guys there?"

"Uh...No, it's only me and Camille."

"Are you certain?" Lily asked, reaching around again, unsuccessfully to release herself. Why did she have to get into this damned contraption? It seemed to be some form of ironic torture. She loved the dress, but now it was being a total pain in the ass.

"Only Camille and I are here." Fran confirmed. "Why?"

Lily breathed a heavy sigh and opened the door, stepping into the main room. Fran gasped as she saw her.

"Lily, you look..."

"Fran, where are the others?" She rushed out. Fran gestured to the monitors.

"The industrial district." Fran replied.

"I'm going." Lily barked, grabbing the trail of her dress as she activated her morpher. As usual, the power of the morpher turned her into her Ranger form, the dress melting away. She then ran and swung through the tunnel on her vine and headed into battle.

"This'll end in tears." Fran sighed.


	2. Bad Luck to see the Dress

Lily felt terrible as she arrived at the battle site. She hated leaving her friends, and she wished she didn't have to arrive late, but her predicament with the dress had left her unable to get there any faster. She'd already suffered several misfortunes in her relationship with RJ, so she wasn't going to tempt fate by letting him see her in her dress. She arrived as they were just beginning to clear up their opponents.

"Lily, where were you?" RJ shouted, smashing down a Rinshi with his elbow.

"I had something to do alright?" She roared, ploughing into her enemies. She was glad that in her Ranger for the dress wouldn't be subjected to the rigours of combat and so wouldn't be messed up. She hated having to rush out in it and cursed her decision to try it on. Her duty to her team was more pressing than her desire to just get one of the other girls to help her out of the dress and put it away somewhere RJ wouldn't see it until the wedding.

More than anything the dress meant so much to her. It was one of the few things that had been passed down to her by her mother, if she somehow ruined the dress in the battle, she'd be distraught, it meant so much to her. A certain drunk-driver had ensured her mother wouldn't be there on her special day, so the closest thing she would have was wearing her mother's dress. Even though she was in her Ranger form, it felt like her mother was with her because of the dress. Despite the sadness as she thought about her mother, she couldn't help smiling at the thought. She wondered what her mother would think if she could see her now.

Back in Dai Shi's fortress, no one had seen Scorch in a few days. He had instead gone off for quiet meditation while Dai Shi continued his campaign. Whiger and Snapper had considered it a good idea that he go to cool off. Despite their collective understanding that siding with Dai Shi was their best chance of winning the renewed Beast War, Scorch had been far from patient with Dai Shi. They had only been revived a few weeks and it was already obvious that Scorch was finding it hard to take his criticisms. The two had almost come to blows over the whole Spirit Rangers debacle, and tensions were high.

Scorch hadn't been wasting his time though. Although he realised that siding with Dai Shi was in their best interests, for him it was strictly a temporary situation. He had no intention of bowing to him as his Phantom Beast king. He was already forming his plan to dispose of him. He looked down on the scroll and felt a sense of satisfaction.

He had heard of a prophesy long ago that foretold of Dai Shi's end. He had decimated a remote temple deep within the mountains surrounding Ocean Bluff in search of the scroll. If Dai Shi was to be destroyed, he wanted to know how, and more importantly, what he could do to make him meet his end earlier.

Unravelling the scroll, he felt disappointment rising in him. It was written in an ancient language that was unfamiliar to him. He stowed it away as he saw Dai Shi approaching.

"Where have you been Scorch?" He asked in a sneer. "I have the Rangers engaged in battle in the city."

"Am I to engage them?" Scorch asked him. It was at times like this he was glad he didn't have a face. Others would have to worry about giving away their true intentions with their expression; of course Scorch had no such worries. His treacherous intentions would stay within him.

"No, I want you to watch from a safe distance." Dai Shi told him. "We will renew our offensive shortly; in the meantime I would like you to observe them, see if there are any weaknesses that can be exploited."

Scorch turned sharply on his heel and left, leaving Dai Shi alone. As he left, he thought forward to a time when he would no longer have to endure Dai Shi's orders. It would be a simple matter of deciphering the scroll so he would know how to defeat him for good.

Dai Shi watched him go with a satisfied smirk. He was nowhere near as naive as Scorch believed. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he made a move on his throne. He was already formulating a plan to dispose of the traitor. He had seen the raw power of the Phantom beast's Rinzin power, and knew that it was best to harness it while he could. After all, if things went to plan, he intended to claim it for himself soon enough.

Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers were finishing up with their opponents when Lily realised her predicament. She had fulfilled her duty to her friends, but now her panic returned to her as she realised that as soon as they finished with their opponents they would expect her to de-morph with them. The dress!

Scorch arrived in his vantage point atop a building a short way from the battle site, and watched the Rangers battling with the Rinshi.

"I see those brainless lumps of ceramic are faring as well as always." He grumbled. He watched on in interest as he noticed the Yellow Ranger working her way further and further from the others.

"Lily found herself clear of the others and looked around. She knew that they were now more than capable of dealing with the remaining Rinshi. Taking this opportunity, she turned and ran from the battle.

"Where's she going?" Theo yelled as he watched her go, taking down a few of them with his Jungle Fans.

"Beats me." Casey replied, powering up his Shark Sabres. "I've never seen her run out in the middle of a fight."

RJ destroyed the last of them with a blast from his Wolf Morpher.

"Power down!" He called out, returning to his civilian mode. The others followed suit. They all looked off in the direction of her escape curiously.

"She was acting pretty weird before she came out." RJ commented. "What's with her today?"

"We can ask when we get back." Dom answered, remembering that Lily had indeed followed them on later. "Knowing our favourite cheetah, she'll beat us back there."

A couple of blocks away, Lily stopped to catch her breath. She was still in her Ranger form; she sat on some steps around the back of an old factory as she held her head in her hands and tried to remember how this had happened. Not even an hour ago, she had been so overcome with emotion at her father giving her the dress that she had thrown it on without thinking. Of course she should have known Dai Shi wouldn't be considerate enough to let her have a moment like this without interrupting it.

She breathed a huge sigh as she felt her tears beginning again. It wasn't fair, she was looking forward to the wedding, but she couldn't even set a date for it. Now she wasn't even able to get a chance to try on her dress. Why could she not just have one normal day? Normal brides got to try on their dress. Normal brides got to send out invitations and pick flowers and set a date, but no. Because of Dai Shi, she wasn't getting to do any of that. Just because she accepted her responsibilities as a defender didn't mean it didn't hurt that she wasn't getting the chance to just concentrate on her wedding preparations.

Sitting alone in that alley, immersed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice as Scorch arrived in the street.

RJ and the others arrived back in the apartment after their battle.

"Hey Fran, it Lily here?" RJ asked her. Fran furrowed her brows as she approached them.

"Wasn't she with you?" Fran asked in response.

"She ran off before the end of the fight." He responded.

Fran got a startling thought as she heard this. "Did she de-morph?"

"Excuse me?" Theo chipped in.

"RJ, did you see her in her civilian form?" Fran asked him.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He asked her. Fran just continued to look at him hoping for an answer. "No, she was still morphed when she left."

"Why are you asking?" Casey asked her.

"She...ummm..." Fran didn't want to tell them, but knew that it could be important. If Lily left the battle before they did, then she should have been back long before now. "Her dad sent her a package."

"I know, I signed for it." Casey responded. "So?"

"It was a wedding dress." She replied. "She was wearing it when she left earlier."

"Why would she be wearing it?" RJ asked her. The other guys all looked as confused as he was. Camille and Fran just looked at each other.

"Guys!" They grumbled.

"Don't you know how important this is to her?" Fran asked him. "She'll have been dreaming about this most of her life. She was probably excited to receive it and tried it on."

"So why wear it to the battle?" Theo asked.

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to get in and out of one of those things?" Camille asked him. "She was probably stuck."

"That explains why she only appeared in front of us in her Ranger Form." RJ concluded. "She probably didn't want me to see her in her dress before the wedding."

"That still doesn't explain why she hasn't come back yet." Casey stated. "Maybe we should activate the tracking system in her morpher."

RJ went over to the surveillance system and activated her tracker.

"She's still in the industrial zone." He stated. "Only a couple of streets from where we had our battle."

"That doesn't make sense." Casey replied. "I'll go and find her."

Within minutes, Casey had morphed and called forth the Strike Rider to take him to the street.

"Casey, you're almost on top of her." RJ announced over the communicator.

"Where?" He asked. "I can't see her anywhere?"

"You should be in the same street as her...now." He told the Red Ranger. Casey pulled to a stop and dismounted.

"RJ, I still can't see her." He replied. "Where is she?"

RJ activated the communicator in her morpher. Casey could hear it bleeping, and followed the sound. Hearing is near a dumpster, he moved it, finding her morpher discarder on the ground.

"RJ, I think we have a problem." Casey stated, picking it up. "Her morpher's here, but she isn't."

Lily came to and looked around in surprise. She appeared to be in some form of ornate bedroom. Deep red, silk bed clothing covered a large, classically styled old oak four-poster bed. Tapestries hung around the walls.

She tried to remember what had happened. She could remember a blast and being thrown across the alley. She could remember seeing General Scorch approaching her, but after that, things were more than a little fuzzy. She looked down, seeing that she was still in her wedding dress, though now she could see steel shackles securing her wrists together. A chain ran from them to the wall, holding her in place.

"Glad to see you're awake." Dai Shi called over from the doorway, causing her to jump. "I love the dress by the way."

"What am I doing here?" She asked him. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I offered you the chance to be by my side once before." Dai Shi told her, sitting on the bed and running a hand through her hair. "Now you'll be mine."

"You're insane!" She snapped, pulling her face away from him. "You want...?"

"Let's just say you're appropriately attired." He replied. "Camille left a great void in my life, a void I intend you to fulfil."

"Not a chance." She snapped in response, turning from him.

"I don't think you realise your position here." He snarled, forcing her down onto the bed and clamping a hand around her throat. "You aren't getting a say in the matter."

He released her and turned, leaving the room. "Enjoy your last night of freedom." He sneered as he left her. Scorch appeared in the doorway. "Keep her company Scorch, we'll get everything ready for the wedding tomorrow."

Lily watched as Scorch came into the room and took a seat opposite her. She couldn't believe how this had all happened. Because she was so desperate not to let RJ see the dress, she had run off on her own, leaving herself vulnerable to Scorch's attack. Now she was totally at his mercy, and apparently Dai Shi intended to make her his bride in some demented mockery of a wedding.

"Where's your precious Wolf Master now?" Scorch taunted her as he settled back and continued to translate the scroll. Lily settled down into the bed and stared at the ceiling. RJ was now her only hope.


	3. Runaway Bride

Dom came into RJ's room, finding him sitting on the bed staring into space. He was understandably worried about Lily. It had now been a couple of hours since they'd last seen her, and they knew that wherever she went, she didn't go willingly. She would never have left her morpher lying around. He came over to the bed and sat down next to him.

"You know, Lily's a really strong person." He reminded the Wolf Ranger. "I'm sure she's fine."

"What are we going to do about this Dom?" RJ asked him.

"We got Fran out, remember?" He said reassuringly. "We'll get in there and..."

"Dai Shi WANTED us to get to Fran, remember?" He interrupted him. "He turned her into her animal form. He did it to make us suffer, that's why he didn't..."

"Look, there're a million and one things that he could be doing to her." Dominic conceded. "Just remember, you'd be the first to remind us that we have to stay positive."

"It's just so hard." He sighed. "If anything happens to her..."

"RJ, you can't think like that. You're no good to her if you start to think like that." He put his arm around RJ, holding him closely as he saw a couple of tears starting to form. "We'll get her back."

"I hope so." He responded, picking up a picture of them together and looking at it fondly. "She's my whole world."

Back at the fortress, Lily bided her time by watching as General Scorch working feverishly, shifting his attention between the scroll he was reading, a large ancient tome and a piece of parchment he was periodically writing on. She could see he was working on something, and given the fact he barely looked in her direction when he was meant to be guarding her, it was obviously something important.

"What's that?" She asked him. Scorch didn't answer, or look up as he continued to write.

"You know when someone asks a question, it's considered rude not to answer." She pressed on. "It looks important."

"I don't answer humans." He responded gruffly, scribbling down a few more characters.

"No, you just answer TO one." Lily sniggered in reply. She remembered Fran telling her that Scorch was frustrated by accepting orders from the human Dai Shi, and that his temper often got the best of him. She figured this might be one way to get some answers. "Surely the fact Dai Shi's human now hasn't escaped you."

He slammed down his quill and turned to face her.

"No human commands me." He snarled.

"So why are you here watching me when you'd clearly rather be working on that?" She asked him playfully. "Come on, anyone can see you're the muscle behind this outfit. Clearly thinking isn't one of your..."

He launched a flame blast a little past her head, slamming it into the wall causing Lily to throw herself down onto the covers and cover her head. She slowly got up and looked at the wrecked drapes behind her.

"You know I doubt Dai Shi will be happy about you redecorating the bedroom." She remarked as calmly as she could. She now knew how volatile his temper was, and had a better idea what he was capable of. "And I think it's a prerequisite that the bride isn't flash-fried when she gets to the altar."

"Then don't ask any more questions." He grumbled. "This is my business and no-one else's."

"Oh come on, who am I going to tell?" She asked him, holding up her restraints. "Something tells me Dai Shi plans for me to be a stay-at-home wife."

"Don't plan on growing old together." He responded dryly.

"So am I looking forward to being a widow?" She asked. Scorch didn't answer. She knew Fran had gotten the impression Scorch was intending to overthrow Dai Shi at an opportune moment, and this seemed to confirm her suspicion. At that point, General Snapper came into the bedchamber, snapping Scorch and Lily to attention.

"Dai Shi requests the pleasure of your company." He sneered. "He wants to share the arrangements for your wedding with you."

"I'd love to, but I kind of feel attached to this place." Lily snapped in response, gesturing to her manacles. She noticed Scorch secreting the documents he was working on behind a tapestry as Snapper entered. Clearly he wanted to keep his cards close to his chest at this time. Snapper came over to her, snapping another set of manacles to her ankles, restricting how quickly she could run. He detached the chain from the wall, pulling her roughly to her feet.

"This way!" He barked, dragging her from the room. Scorch followed them as they made their way out into a clearing. She looked around at the meadow. If it wasn't for the circumstances, she'd have found the place quite beautiful. Given the time of year, lotus blossoms shone in the sunlight, giving it the appearance of a scene from the fairytales her mother used to read to her. A thick carpet of lush, green grass covered the ground. She was dragged before Dai Shi as he looked around.

"This used to be a Pai Zhuq temple." He informed her. "I sacked it in the Beast War thousands of years ago. Its strategic position was incredible, so I made it my fortress."

He turned to face her, taking the chain from her shackles in his hand and began leading her around the gardens. "I remodelled much of it in my image, but I kept this as a scene of tranquillity. Even I like to take some time to enjoy a moment of peace."

He led her over to a pond, where several species of exotic fish swam around in crystal clear waters. "I figured even I could have somewhere fit to hold my wedding. At one time I thought that would be with Camille, of course things have turned out a little differently."

"I thought you wanted to destroy all humans." Lily stated. "Why do you want me?"

"When Camille fell pregnant, I felt something I never have before." He explained. He seemed to become slightly distracted and distant, almost as though something was wrong with him. "It made me realise that I have neglected my duty to father an heir to hand my legacy to."

"You are kidding right?" Lily asked him sarcastically. "I can't stand you! What makes you think I'll have your kids?"

"When you're the only human on earth, you won't have much choice." He replied. "Since I don't have a physical body, I must use this vessel to create my descendents."

"You know the others aren't going to let this happen don't you?" She responded. "RJ..."

"If they had the power to take on myself and the Phantom Beasts they would have invaded the fortress and done so by now." He replied. "Do remember we ALLOWED you to retrieve your precious Orange Ranger."

Lily turned from him, feeling the desperation of her situation come to her. She knew he was right about Fran; he'd actually wanted them to see what he'd done to her, to torment them and demonstrate the depths of his cruelty.

"Your precious Wolf Master will have to learn to accept life without you." He taunted her. "This time tomorrow, we will be man and wife."

Dai Shi felt the mental assault come to him again, tearing at his mind. He held a hand to his head, staggered by the anguish coursing through him. He shook his head, bringing himself back to focus. Lily noticed that he did not seem like himself.

"I just wanted you to see where we would perform the ceremony." He continued once he regained his composure, gesturing over General Snapper.

"Take her back to her room." He commanded. "I'll summon you when it is time. Until then, Snapper, Scorch, create a little trouble in the city. I'd like the Ranger to be distracted."

As Lily was being dragged away, she noticed a gnarled old oak tree that looked completely out of place in this picturesque garden. Straining herself to see ad Snapper pulled her sharply along after him, she could see a split running the length of the trunk and remembered this from Camille's descriptions. There was a portal in there that would take her back to Ocean Bluff. She knew she couldn't make a break for it just yet, but she was confident she could find her way back here. First of all, she just had to find a way out of these damned chains.

Arriving back in her bed chamber, Snapper reattached her chains to the bracket in the wall.

"Come Scorch, let us locate Whiger and have some fun with the others." He said as he headed for the door.

"I see no reason for this…foolishness." He replied. "Our time would be better served…"

"Dai Shi is to be our king." Snapper reminded him. "Now come dragon!"

Snapper led him away, though it was obvious he was far from happy at leaving to go on this pointless errand. Lily made her way over to where Scorch had been working, figuring that she may at least attempt to discover his plan. It was at the full extension of the tether securing her to the wall, but she was just able to reach the drape covering what he was working on. Pulling it back, she could see the book appeared to be some form of reference book, almost like a dictionary, and he was making notes on the parchment. It looked almost as if he was trying to translate something.

Seeing the scroll, she opened it, finding inside writing she couldn't make out. Obviously Scorch couldn't either and was trying to translate it. As she unravelled it further to get a better look, something fell out and onto the floor with a metallic ting. She knelt down inspecting it with a curious expression. It was a key.

Hopefully, she inserted it into the lock on one of her manacles, feeling it fall open with a click.

"I guess Scorch isn't as smart as he thought." She mused, unlocking the rest of her restraints. Stroking the feeling back into her wrists and ankles, she picked up the scroll and the parchment, figuring that it must be important if Scorch was so interested in them. Then, she began making her way back towards the clearing.

Elsewhere in the fortress, Dai Shi staggered over to his bed in his own bedchamber, his head a blur of numerous thoughts and images. He strained himself to make sense of what was happening to him, but he couldn't. For some reason, the Yellow Ranger seemed to be having this effect on him.

He steadied himself on the bed frame and thought back to their previous encounters, trying to think of anything that would give him some kind of indication as to why she would have this effect on him.

Suddenly a memory came to him. He was standing in the courtyard of the temple, watching her from a distance. He had been watching her since she had arrived. She was completely unlike the other students. She seemed to be a lot like himself in some ways, from eavesdropping in their dorm he had heard her tell her friend, that Theo kid, that her dad dumped her here when he went off to work somewhere.

His own parents didn't really work, but they didn't have time for him and so had dropped him here as a matter of convenience. Unlike him though, she had seemed to actually embrace others as a way of coping. She'd been hanging around with many of the other initiates, Theo in particular. He admired her strength, and also her compassion, a trait he wished he had himself.

Looking down at the orchids he'd picked from Master Mao's personal garden. He knew that little stunt would come back to bite him, but it would be worth it if she noticed him. He began making his way slowly over towards her, preparing to make his move, when Theo arrived. Unusually he was wearing civilian clothing.

"Lily, did you forget we were going to lunch?" He asked.

Jarrod felt his heart deflating as he heard this and the orchids fell from his hand. He knew they spent a lot of time together, but he never guessed they were this close. He turned and left the area slowly, a lump already forming in his throat.

"Him?" Dai Shi whispered. "But I have him back under control! I have had since I lost the chameleon spirit."

The image then assailed him, painfully this time, causing him to collapse onto the bed, clutching his head and screaming in anguish. He felt the pain once more as the thoughts came to him again about the child that Camille had lost, though so much more acutely than he had felt before. His thoughts of having children had brought that day back to him painfully.

"Jarrod!" He screamed, writhing in his bed clothing. "You're doing this to me!"

He stood up, composing himself and accessing the depths of his dark powers, forcing Jarrod back down to the depths of his mind.

"Why does he still plague me so?" He asked himself.

Back in JKP, the others were forming their ideas for the battles ahead. Despite his obvious feelings about the situation, even RJ knew that rushing headlong into Dai Shi's lair was far from a wise move.

"Last time we met no resistance because he wanted us to get to Fran." Dominic stated. "I think this time we can presume Lily will be guarded."

Just then, the security system bleeped, informing them of a disturbance in the city. RJ watched the screen, seeing the three Generals attacking.

"Go after the Phantom Beasts." He instructed them. "I'll go after Lily."

"RJ, we need a strong presence in the field." Dominic stated. "I know you want to help Lily, but I'm the most individually powerful member of the team."

"Dom I…"

"I'm more likely to succeed alone than you." He interrupted the Wolf Master. "That frees the rest of you to face the Phantom Beast Generals."

RJ considered it for a moment. He wanted nothing more than to rush over there and help her, but what Dom had said made a certain amount of sense. In terms of raw power, the rhino spirit was the strongest.

"Dom, I want you to promise me…"

"I'll bring her back RJ." He replied. "I promise."

With that, Dominic powered up and left the restaurant on his dangerous mission. He was at heart a joker, but today his mind and heart couldn't be more focussed. His best friend of many years was entrusting him with the safe return of the woman he loved more than anything in the world, and not one thing was going to stand in his way.

"He'll bring her back RJ." Casey assured him. "In the meantime, we're needed in the field. We need you to have your head on straight."

RJ nodded his head wordlessly and joined his friends as they left the apartment to face their foes.

Lily rushed down the corridor, seeing a couple of Rinshi blocking her path. Having no choice, she rushed to the attack.

The first of them lunged at her with its lance, narrowly missing, though the telltale sound of material ripping confirmed her worst fears. Lily hooked the shaft with her arm and looked down, seeing that it had indeed gone through the train of her dress. She whipped the lance from its grasp, slamming it and its comrade aside, before snapping off the blade and rushing as quickly as she could into the clearing. As she arrived outside, an energy blast threw her into the fish pond. Lily pulled herself from the murky waters, looking down at the garment in horror. Dirty water dripped down it, forming dark streaks on its delicate white surface.

Lily's eyes narrowed as tears formed and her lip quivered. She reached into the pond, retrieving her makeshift bo staff as she felt every muscle in her body tighten. Her face twisted into a bestial snarl as she threw herself headlong into battle.

Dominic arrived a short time later, carving a path through them from the portal. He found himself staggered to see Lily throwing herself so viciously into the fray. She was far more intense than he had ever seen her. It was as though she had lost all sense of reason and was trying to personally destroy every Rinshi warrior in the fortress single-handedly.

"Lily!" He yelled, presenting her solar morpher to her. "Catch!"

He threw it to her, at which she activated it, assuming her Ranger form once more. Powering up to Jungle Master mode, she ploughed into the henchmen with a renewed vigour.

"Lily, we need to get out of here!" He yelled, trying to reason with her.

"It's ruined!" She screeched, shattering evil warriors left and right. "They've destroyed it!"

"Lily, the others need our help!" He called out, trying to reason with her. It was at that point that Dai Shi turned up, blindsiding Lily. She rounded on him, ready to attack as Dominic interjected himself between them.

"Lily, deal with these jumping clay pots." He snapped. "I have a little family matter to deal with."

Lily renewed her frenzy against the Rinshi, taking them down as Dominic confronted Dai Shi.

"You don't have the stomach to destroy me!" He sneered, beginning his attack. "You cannot risk destroying Jarrod."

Dominic responded with a telling blow with his Rhino Blade across his chest.

"You forget, sometimes the best thing you can do for a relative is give them a slap when they need it." He responded, taking up a guard. "Bring it on baby brother!"

RJ and the others were taking the others to the limit. RJ was trying his best, but it was obvious his head wasn't in the battle. He was needlessly throwing himself at Scorch with a furious anger.

"I saw you take her!" RJ snarled, powering up his morpher with every attack. Scorch though was able to block them with little effect.

"You saw what you needed to." He responded, grabbing RJ's hands and trapping them by his chest. "By the way, you're welcome." With that, he threw RJ aside, before he turned and left without another word.

"Where are you going?" Snapper shrieked, knocking Theo flying with a back-handed swipe.

"Dai Shi asked us to battle them for a few minutes." He replied, disappearing. "I make that five minutes."

Not wanting to take on the others by themselves, the others followed suit and disappeared too.

"What was that about?" Casey asked.

"Lily!" RJ called out, de-morphing and running to greet her as she and Dominic arrived. They were both clearly battle-weary. Dominic de-morphed and came over to the others.

"I had to run out on my personal situation." He explained. "It was more important I got Lily back."

As RJ released her, she just wordlessly turned her back and walked away. It was obvious she was upset. RJ was going to run after her, but Dominic placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Give her some time." He implored his friend. "She's really beating herself up about this."

"About being kidnapped?" Casey asked. Dominic shook his head.

Back in the apartment, they arrived back to find Fran and Camille in the main room.

"How is she?" RJ asked. Fran sighed and gave him a sympathetic look, shaking her head.

"She got me to help her take off the dress." She told him. "It got pretty badly messed up in the escape. She's taking it really hard."

"I'll go and talk to her." RJ told them, heading into the bedroom. The others all went their separate ways, deciding it was best to leave RJ to talk to her alone. Taking the opportunity as he was heading out anyway, Dominic took the trash out to the dumpster around the back.

Opening the lid, he saw a slightly-damaged fed-ex box at the top of the dumpster. Pulling it out, he opened it, realising that it was Lily's dress. Obviously in her despair, she had thrown it out.

Dominic looked around once more, making sure no-one was watching, before taking the dress and leaving.


	4. It Ends in Tears

RJ made his way into the bedroom, finding Lily there, looking through an old photo album.

"I'm really sorry mom." She sobbed as she looked at the photos, beholding happier times for her family. "I didn't mean for anything to happen to it."

RJ came to her side and sat down next to her on the bed, putting his arm around her. She looked at him, tears streaming down her face before shrugging off his arm and turning back to the album. It pained him deeply to see her like this; he hadn't seen her so deeply upset since the night he'd screamed at her for trying to rescue him from Camille when she was recovering from her injury.

"My dad trusted me RJ." She whimpered, looking down on the photo album. "He loved that dress. It was one of the few things he had left of mom's. He trusted me with it and I let him down."

"Lily, what happened wasn't your fault." RJ breathed gently, stroking her hair comfortingly. "You were kidnapped, there was nothing..."

"All this happened because I was so obsessed with my bloody wedding!" She roared, throwing down the photo album. "If I hadn't put on the dress, if I had been in the main room training like I was meant to be..."

"Lily it was understandable." He assured her. "I'd be upset if you weren't excited..."

"But we have our responsibility to defeat Dai Shi." She sniffed, wiping away some of her tears. "I know that comes before everything. I know that we have to hold off on everything..."

"Lily, just because we have to postpone the wedding doesn't mean we have to postpone our lives." He said reassuringly, pulling her into a long, comforting hug, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. "It was only natural you'd be excited. I just wish you could have let us help you get out of the dress."

He pulled away to look her directly in the eyes and smiled. "I'm kind of excited too you know. I've already bought my tux."

"Lily gave a small smile as he said this, but still wasn't feeling a whole lot better. She was still devastated by the loss of the dress.

"I know it won't be the same, but I promise we'll get you another dress." He told her. "I know it won't be..."

"I really wish mom could be there." Lily interrupted him in a sigh. "It was beautiful, but it wasn't even that which upset me. It's just...when I wore it, it felt kind of felt like..."

"It felt like she was there with you." RJ concluded. Lily nodded to confirm this. "Lily your mom was always going to be there with you, she always will be."

"I just don't know how I'm going to tell dad." She sighed. "He trusted me to take care of that dress and now it's ruined."

"Your dad will understand." He whispered, kissing her cheek softly. "He loved that dress, but it's just a dress. You're his daughter, he'll be happy that you got out safely. That's the most important thing."

"I just really feel like I've let him down." She reiterated, her chin finding her chest as she thought about everything. "I feel like I've let them both down."

"I never told you this, but when you morphed in front of your dad, I was facing him. I saw the look on his face." He pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. "You could never disappoint him. I don't think you realise how proud he is of you."

He released her, pulling up the edge of the blanket. "You should get some rest. You've had a big day."

"Thanks RJ." She sighed weakly, sliding under the covers and settling down.

"I promise I'll wake you in a couple of hours." He told her. "I'll get you something to eat then."

With that, he let her settle into the bed and left her to rest. He was still unhappy that she was so cut up about what happened to the dress, but going over it wasn't going to help her any. He hoped that some rest might help her come to terms with it. He had a feeling telling her father wasn't going to be easy for her, but not because he doubted her father would forgive her, because he wasn't sure she'd forgive herself.

Lily found herself sitting on a bench in Ocean Bluff Park, watching the children playing. Looking down, she noticed she was wearing a pale yellow T-shirt and pale blue jeans with holes in the knees. She was puzzled but seemed to understand as she looked at her left forearm. Early in her time at Pai Zhuq, she had suffered a cut from a sword that left a small, faint scar just above her elbow, but that seemed to be missing. She had to be less than fifteen years old at this time. The bizarre scene made a little more sense as she saw a woman approaching her. She couldn't breathe; she had wished for this so many times that she couldn't believe it was really happening.

"Hello Lily." Her mother greeted her. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

Lily turned her face from her mother and moved along the bench. This was sheer torture for her. She had wanted to see her mother again for six long years. She'd hoped she'd see her again since the day of her funeral, and now that day had come, she was unable to look at her. She was too ashamed over what had happened to the dress. She felt her mother's familiar, warm touch as she reached a hand over, stroking her hair.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Her mother asked. "It has been a long time."

"I don't deserve this." Lily whispered sadly. "Mom, why did...?"

"You needed me, so I came." She replied. "You're being too hard on yourself. You get that from your father."

Lily was finally able to turn and face her, tears beginning to form.

"I'm really sorry mom." She sobbed. "I know how much that dress meant to you both."

"I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen." She replied, smiling at the memory. "My mother was a seamstress. She made it for me as a wedding present. I had shown her the pictures of our holiday in France. She had heard the story of how your father proposed to me in that field so many times, she told me it just felt right to immortalise the moment like that."

Lily felt her heart aching again as her mother told her this. Her mother smiled. "Your dad also thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen." She continued. "We were proven wrong when you were born."

"I'm sorry mom." She reiterated. "I never wanted the dress to get damaged."

Her mother smiled at her. "Lily I couldn't give a damn about the dress." She replied warmly. "I'm glad you got out of Dai Shi's fortress safely. Having you safe and happy is more important to me than anything."

"You...you know about that?" Lily asked her. "But you..."

"Lily, I'm dead." She interrupted her daughter. "That doesn't stop me caring about what happens to my family. I'm so proud of the young woman you've become. I know you'll be a good wife...and an amazing mom."

Lily looked at her a little puzzled; she found her hand straying to her abdomen. Her mother chuckled.

"No, not yet." She pre-empted Lily's question. "When the time is right."

"When will..."

"Now that would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?" She replied. "RJ's a good man. You know if I was still alive and not married..."

"Mom!" Lily sniggered, feeling a little better. "I really miss you mom, I wish you'd been around for more of this."

"I wish I was too." She replied. "Don't be too worried about the dress. These things have a way of working out for the best."

"Mom it was totally ruined." Lily reiterated. "How could...?"

"You'll see." She replied knowingly. With that, the image disappeared. Lily woke up, finding her hand draped over a familiar fed-ex package. She snapped into a seating position, looking around for some kind of indication of intrusion.

She pulled open the box and marvelled at its contents. It was her dress, but not as it had been. She pulled it out so get a better look. Checking the train carefully, it took her quite a while to find the damaged area. It had been repaired, and quite expertly so. The stitch work was so small and delicate that it was barely visible at all. Moreover, the dress had been dry-cleaned and seemed to be as good as new. Tears of joy came to her face as she hugged it tenderly to her chest. She was certain it was completely destroyed, and yet somehow it had been returned to her. She put the dress away in the box and carefully stowed it back under the bed. She wasn't going to take any more chances with it.

Outside on the fire escape, Dominic pulled back out of view with a satisfied grin. He knew how much it would mean to Lily to have the dress returned to her. Six years of travelling on a shoe-string budget had left him knowing more than a little about clothing repairs. It had wiped out his last month's pay check to get the dress cleaned professionally, but seeing how happy it made her made it worth every penny.

Lily came back into the main room of the apartment, coming over to RJ and leaping onto his back and wrapped her arms around him as he cooked, kissing him repeatedly in her excitement.

"You know it's hard to concentrate on making beef stroganoff when you're doing this." He laughed. ""What did I do to deserve this?"

"You know." She replied, refusing to let go, forcing him to walk around the kitchen, carrying her in a piggy-back.

"No, I really don't." He replied. "I mean I know you like my beef..."

"My dress." She replied. "You got it fixed. I don't even mind that..."

"Lily, I've never even seen your dress." He informed her. "I never fixed it."

Lily finally slipped off to the floor, puzzled. She was sure it had to be RJ who had returned her beloved dress to her.

"Lily, maybe some mysteries are best left unsolved." He suggested. "Some though, may be incredibly helpful."

He gestured over to the scroll and the parchment. He drew her attention to the parchment in particular.

"The scroll is written in a language I don't quite understand, but I think in time I might be able to translate it given enough time." He told her. "It seems that there was a prophesy that foretold the destruction of Dai Shi."

"And you think that's it?" Lily asked. "What do we know so far?"

"He only translated one line." RJ told her. "A good soul who has done no good."

"What's that meant to mean?" Lily asked him.

"I guess we'll know more when I translate the rest of it." He replied with a shrug. "Until then, beef stroganoff?"

"That sounds delightful." She replied with a bright smile.

As RJ plated up their meal, Lily thought long and hard about the day. It had been a trying and upsetting day, and everything had all worked out for the best, but one thing still bothered her. Why did Scorch leave the key to her shackles in her room?

"Lily." RJ called over, pouring them some drinks. "You don't want it to get cold."

Lily smiled and came to his side, sitting down with him. As much as it still frustrated her that they still couldn't get round to the wedding, there was still nowhere else she'd rather be.

Fin.


End file.
